Candidate plans to maintain road to student success

Date: 5/9/2011

May 9, 2011

By Chris Maza

Reminder Assistant Editor

Editor's note: This is the first of two articles profiling the two candidates for a one-year seat on the School Committee.

LONGMEADOW — Paving the road to a child's success is important, but just as important is maintaining that road to ensure a smooth journey.

Laurie Flynn has found this to be true while raising her two sons, both students at Blueberry Hill Elementary School, and she wants to bring that attitude to the School Committee.

Flynn is one of two candidates for a single one-year seat on the committee, facing off against former School Committee Chair Mary Vogel in the June 7 town election.

"As the mother of two young boys, I want to be able to provide the best future possible by providing them with the best education," Flynn told Reminder Publications. "In doing that, I think it's important I become part of the process. This seems like the right time to do it."

Originally from the Washington, D.C., area, Flynn and her family moved to Longmeadow four years ago and got involved with the school district right away, "jumping in with both feet," she said.

She has served as president of the Blueberry Hill Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization and has been a member of the Longmeadow Education Endowment Fund's Grant Review Committee.

Flynn graduated with an undergraduate degree from Colby College and, as of May 10, will have earned her masters degree in fine arts in children's literature, as she is an aspiring childrens author.

Flynn said she has been impressed with the School Committee's focus on improving the tools and facilities available to the students in order to offer them a top-notch education, but said there has been an evident lack in a related area.

"One of the biggest areas of concern for me is that we have to do a better job maintaining our facilities to ensure that they continue to serve the students the best way possible," Flynn said. "The new high school is a perfect example. The School Committee made the wise decision to construct a new facility and we want to make sure we protect that investment, not just with lip service, but with a plan."

Flynn said that she also appreciates the way the School Committee has stood behind the new superintendent, Marie Doyle, and how it has maintained a student-first attitude, but also feels that the committee needs to continue to seek out new resources for teachers in order to ensure that all children, regardless of learning style, have a chance to succeed.

"There will always be the issue of differential learning and our teachers have done a wonderful job with what they have," Flynn said. "We need to continue keeping our eyes on the child."

Flynn added that because of the limited resources of the town, it is the School Committee's duty to ensure that those dollars are handled responsibly.

"[The town] raises money primarily through property taxes and people work hard for that money," Flynn said. "We need to make sure those dollars are spent wisely. We need to make sure that we take care of those precious tax dollars."